BOSTON: GUARDS: This offense now belongs to RAJON RONDO, and that should be especially true during the regular season . . . Even if he comes off the bench, JASON TERRY figures to see the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard. He provides some much-needed outside shooting after Ray Allen left and should challenge Paul Pierce for the team lead in shot attempts . . . Adding COURTNEY LEE was more of a move for the future. He's a fine young second-unit player for now and should be an heir apparent on one of the wings . . . AVERY BRADLEY could be out until December after shoulder surgery. As Boston's best perimeter defensive player, he could reclaim his starting job in the season's second half . . . The addition of LEANDRO BARBOSA gives Boston another veteran who can create his own offense in the second unit, something that was sorely missing in last year's playoff run. FORWARDS: PAUL PIERCE quietly had a great regular season last year. Though with some improved depth behind him, Rivers might have his 35-year-old All-Star wing rest more often . . . BRANDON BASS gives them another scoring option, even if he does struggle on the defensive end. He'll get full-time minutes only in certain matchups as long as the frontcourt is healthy . . . JEFF GREEN's heart condition is no longer a concern, but the tweener's role in Boston after a year off is cause for worry . . . There are already question marks surrounding rookie JARED SULLINGER's back. He's very similar to Bass: He can score out to mid-range but doesn't play much defense. Expect him to be strictly a second-unit player in his first NBA season . . . CHRIS WILCOX will provide fouls off the bench when healthy. CENTERS: The Celtics are prepared to go with KEVIN GARNETT in the middle, which was the case when they were at their best last season. His role on offense is still knocking down mid-range jumpers, and he's still an elite defensive player . . . Professional flopper JASON COLLINS will fill in nicely for the departed Greg Stiemsma . . . FAB MELO is years away from being ready to contribute (if he actually is ever ready to contribute) and DARKO MILICIC was also added via free agency for more frontcourt depth.

LA LAKERS: GUARDS: Coach Mike Brown will reportedly turn the offensive gameplan over to STEVE NASH, but it's tough to picture a smooth transition after so many years of iso-heavy play in L.A. Don't be surprised if Nash has a tough adjustment . . . KOBE BRYANT will also have to learn to play with the ball out of his hands more often. He still figures to force some hold-and-wait basketball when he can . . . STEVE BLAKE will be in the old Derek Fisher role, coming off the bench to shoot corner threes . . . CHRIS DUHON and DARIUS MORRIS will battle for that No. 3 point guard spot . . . JODIE MEEKS will back up Bryant and provide some long-range shooting off the bench . . . The young guys, ANDREW GOUDELOCK and second-rounder DARIUS JOHNSON-ODOM, will bounce between the bench and the D-League. FORWARDS: If L.A. redesigns their offense to fit Nash, PAU GASOL should thrive. He's adjusted his game to fit with Kobe's iso play, but Gasol can make the passes and cuts to create quick buckets in a Euro-style offense . . . METTA WORLD PEACE looked done early last season but rebounded for a solid second half. He's a distant fifth option on offense, but can still defend . . . ANTAWN JAMISON will likely fill a sixth-man role. His skill set is too narrow to play a lot of minutes with the starters . . . JORDAN HILL is in the rotation. He did a nice job rebounding and clearing out space last year . . . DEVIN EBANKS figures to be bumped out of the rotation by Jamison. CENTERS: DWIGHT HOWARD's back remains a bit of a concern, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him sit out a handful of regular season games. But when he plays, he'll put up the same kind of monster production that he had in Orlando . . . ROBERT SACRE will be lucky to make the roster.

The Los Angeles Lakers are taking the court for the first time since the death of Jerry Buss, and it's rather fitting that the opponent will be a storied rival.

Emerging from the All-Star break, the Lakers may see a meeting with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night as a chance to show some consistency while paying tribute to their charismatic and beloved owner.

The Lakers (25-29) have long been one of the world's premier sports franchises, and much of the credit goes to Buss, who died at 80 from kidney failure on Monday. A memorial service will be held Thursday across from Staples Center at Nokia Theatre, and he'll be honored Wednesday before tip-off.

After Buss purchased the team in 1979, he turned it into a spectacle dubbed "Showtime," led by Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal later helped usher in another era of dominance for a star-studded franchise befitting of the searing Hollywood spotlight.

The Lakers won 10 of 16 NBA Finals under Buss, the most of any team in that span. However, his business savvy, knack for promotion and willingness to acquire some of the best players in basketball history made the Lakers into the NBA's first global brand.

"Think about the impact that he's had on the game and the decisions he's made, and the brand of basketball he brought here with Showtime and the impact that had on the sport as a whole," Bryant said. "Those vibrations were felt to a kid all the way in Italy who was 6 years old, before basketball was even global. His impact is felt worldwide."

Buss' impact will be felt Wednesday, especially against the Celtics (28-25).

The Lakers and Celtics have combined to win half of the NBA's 66 titles, and they've matched up five times in the Finals since 1980. Los Angeles has won three of those series, most recently in 2010.

Both teams haven't seemed capable of reaching those lofty expectations this season, but the Lakers may be the bigger disappointment. They're 10th in the Western Conference, 3 1/2 games back of Houston for the eighth and final playoff position.

The Lakers also lost three of four to the Los Angeles Clippers, dropping the season series to their historically lowly neighbors the first time since 1992-93 after falling 125-101 on Feb. 14 before entering the break.

Bryant has been doing his part, ranking fourth in the league with 26.8 points per game, and lately he's tried to get others involved. While he's averaging 18.4 points over the past 12 games, the All-Star guard has 8.5 assists per game after dishing out 11 against the Clippers.

He's averaged 28.7 points over the past 12 meetings with Boston, including seven in the 2010 Finals.

Bryant's 27 points weren't enough in the latest meeting Feb. 7, when Los Angeles lost 116-95 on the road.

Oft-injured Dwight Howard has taken the brunt of the blame for the Lakers' struggles, averaging 16.3 points and 11.8 boards after being seen as the final piece to add to the franchise's trophy haul.

The All-Star center was limited to nine points and nine rebounds after missing the three previous games with a shoulder injury.

The Celtics are trying to re-establish their momentum after losing 97-90 at Denver on Tuesday in the opener of this season-high five-game road trip. They had won eight of the previous nine while dealing with season-ending injuries to Rajon Rondo (ACL), Jared Sullinger (back surgery) and Leandro Barbosa (ACL).

"We got stagnant with ball movement," said forward Paul Pierce, who had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists. "We just didn't make the adjustment. A little too much one-on-one. On the other end, we didn't get key stops. We fouled a little bit too much. Every crucial possession that we needed a stop, we didn't get the stop that we needed and they were able to pull away."

Pierce leads Boston with 18.3 points per game, but he's only managed 10.3 over the last three games. He's averaging 25.2 over 13 regular-season road meetings with the Lakers.